Musicscan: First of all I'd like to know, if you guys again have composed something like a concept-album, like you did before with „Takasago Army“. What is „Bu Tik“ about?

Chthonic: sing-guan, the main character of our previous albums, he’s shackled by the Mirror of Retribution for hundreds and thousands of years in hell in the end of story. (Read more via the story of our earlier album Mirror of Retribution http://bit.ly/111eunl)
The searing memories from ancient times and memories of the future; history of a millennia ate away at Tsing-guan’s brain through the Mirror of Retribution.
A revolt that overturned the jail, a pot of good liquor after shipjacking, a bullet that aims at the tyrant, the prestige that establishes a regime, a hopeless escape… “Bu-Tik” takes listeners into Tsing-guan’s brain to travel through countless violent scenes throughout Taiwan’s history, it incites the rebellious might deep inside your heart, it unearths the deeply hidden answer, it takes you on quest for the end of the story.

Musicscan: My first impression was, that you reduced the parts where you added the native music of Taiwan. Is that correct? If yes: Why did you do that?

Chthonic: Not really. It's still full of Taiwanese flavors here and there, but now I have found out that we have some materials be simplified this time instead of too complicated to push the aggressive feeling of metal.
I think It's just naturally happened during the songwriting. We didn't think too much, we didn't want to be too forcing. We have tried to be smooth and easy when we're writing.

Musicscan: Again, my first impression was that you wrote more of a straight forward, hard und rude metal album. Still it is symphonic, but is has a rough edge to it. Would you agree?

Chthonic: Yes, just like what I have mentioned in the previous question. :D

Musicscan: Since China is trying to experiment with a rather open economy: Has the politicial situation in Taiwan changed recently?

Chthonic: Not really. It remains the same. It's very hard to explain in just a few lines, but let me try. Taiwanese businessmen have been working with international partners including Chinese for years, but politically we stay as an independent country. But the international politics is still unfriendly with us. And there are still politicians from the old autocratic force ruling different levels of Taiwan.

Musicscan: Did you ever found it difficult to incorporate the native sounds into hard metal music?

Chthonic: It has been difficult in the early years, but now, it's smooth and easy! It has been easier and easier for us to find the balance between metal and Taiwanese folk elements after Takasago Army.

Musicscan: „Bu Tik“ seems to be a very variable, versatile album with a lot of different things going on at the same time. Is the writing process still a matter of jamming together, or do you work with a blackboard like Dream Theater do?

Chthonic: Jamming together has never been a main way of our song-writing. It's usually that Freddy comes out with some ideas, and he makes a demo via midi and send to Jesse, and both of them work together to record demos and improve them again and again, and then the band members join later to improve them to the final version.

Musicscan: What are the plans for the near future? What places haven't you been to and would like to play?

Chthonic: Hopefully before the end of the year, we could tour both Asia and Europe. And we do want to tour some places that we have never been! Such as Australia, South America, and maybe Russia!